Lila Cockrell

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = Lila Cockrell.jpg

| title = 172nd and 174th Mayor of San Antonio

| term_start = June 1, 1989

| term_end = June 1, 1991

| predecessor = Henry Cisneros

| successor = Nelson Wolff

| term_start2 = May 1, 1975

| term_end2 = May 1, 1981

| predecessor2 = Charles L. Becker

| successor2 = Henry Cisneros

| title3 = San Antonio City Councilwoman

| term_start3 = 1973

| term_end3 = 1975

| term_start4 = 1963

| term_end4 = 1970

| birth_name = Lila May Banks

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|1|19}}

| birth_place = Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|8|29|1922|1|19}}

| death_place = San Antonio, Texas, U.S.

| party = Republican

| spouse = {{marriage|Sidney Earl Cockrell Jr.|1941|1986|reason=died}}

| children = 2

| alma_mater = Southern Methodist University

| allegiance = United States

| branch = United States Navy
WAVES

| rank = Ensign

| battles = World War II

| profession =

| religion =

| footnotes =

}}

Lila May Banks Cockrell (January 19, 1922 – August 29, 2019) was an American politician who served twice as mayor of San Antonio, Texas. During World War II, she served in the WAVES branch of the United States Navy. She served as President of the Dallas and San Antonio chapters of the League of Women Voters during the 1950s.{{cite web|title=Lila Cockrell Records|url=http://www.sanantonio.gov/clerk/Archives/FindingAids%5Clila-cockrell-records-1977-1991%20dg.pdf|work=Municipal Archives and Records|publisher=City of San Antonio|access-date=August 12, 2013}}{{cite book |author=Judith A. Leavitt |title=American Women Managers and Administrators: A Selective Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-century Leaders in Business, Education, and Government |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1985 |page=47 |isbn=9780313237485 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jk_uzzu36rgC&q=Lila+Cockrell+1922&pg=PA47}}

Political career

After serving for a decade on the city council, including her 1969 service as the city's first woman mayor Pro Tem, Cockrell was elected in 1975 to the first of four two-year terms as Mayor of San Antonio. At the time of her inauguration, San Antonio's population gave her the status of the mayor over the largest American city being governed by a woman. She is often listed as the first woman in the United States to be elected mayor of a major metropolis. However, Bertha Knight Landes was mayor of Seattle 1926–1928.{{cite web|last=Stein|first=Alan J|title=Bertha Landes is elected mayor of Seattle on March 9, 1926.|url=http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=1980|publisher=HistoryLink.org|access-date=August 12, 2013|date=March 1, 2000}} Cockrell's first three terms ran consecutively 1975–1981. At the end of her third term, she chose not to run because of the illness of her husband Sidney Earl Cockrell Jr.{{cite book|last=Ivins|first=Molly|title=Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?|year=2010|publisher=Vintage eBooks|location=New York|isbn=978-0-3074-3441-8|pages=203, 204|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ujpuujMJv-0C&q=grandma+mayor+%22lila+cockrell%22&pg=PA203}} She was succeeded by Henry Cisneros.

Widowed in 1986, she was elected to her fourth term as mayor in 1989 when Cisneros left office.{{cite magazine|last=Petty|first=Kathleen|magazine=San Antonio Magazine|date=March 29, 2013|title=Lila Cockrell Interview|url=http://www.sanantoniomag.com/SAM-Says/Winter-2013/Lila-Cockrell/|access-date=August 12, 2013}} Lila Cockrell was a registered Republican.{{Cite web|last=Marini|first=Richard A.|date=2019-01-02|title=Lila Cockrell, San Antonio's first female mayor, looks back on her life in politics|url=https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyle/article/Lila-Cockrell-San-Antonio-s-first-female-13503558.php|access-date=2021-07-13|website=San Antonio Express-News|language=en-US}}

Retirement

After retiring from political office, Cockrell served on many municipal commissions and civic boards.{{cite web|title=Lila Cockrell|url=http://www.saparksfoundation.org/PDF/Lila_Cockrell-Bio_res.pdf|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20100524174621/http://www.saparksfoundation.org/PDF/Lila_Cockrell-Bio_res.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 24, 2010|publisher=San Antonio Parks Foundation|access-date=August 12, 2013}} In 2013, she retired as president of the San Antonio Parks Foundation, a position she had held since 1998.{{cite magazine |last=Petty|first=Kathleen|title=Lila Cockrell The 91-year-old former mayor retires to write, not slow down|magazine=San Antonio Magazine|date=April 2013|url=http://www.sanantoniomag.com/SAM/April-2013/Lila-Cockrell/|access-date=August 12, 2013}}

On May 29, 2019 Cockrell was forbidden to vote in the 2019 San Antonio mayoral election because she lacked the required identification under Texas ID laws.{{cite web |url=https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2019/05/30/respected-former-san-antonio-mayor-lila-cockrell-turned-away-at-polls |access-date=30 December 2019|title=Respected Former San Antonio Mayor Lila Cockrell Turned Away at Polls}} Many people in the San Antonio community as well as politicians such as Pete Buttigieg were outraged that Cockrell was forbidden to cast her ballot. The incident started up a controversy about Texas voter ID laws.{{cite web |title=Pete Buttigieg |url=https://www.facebook.com/petebuttigieg1/posts/2467547309931616?comment_id=2467825886570425&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D |website=www.facebook.com |access-date=30 December 2019 |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=McGuinness |first1=Dylan |title=San Antonio leaders, residents outraged after former mayor Lila Cockrell isn't allowed to vote |url=https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/politics/article/Former-San-Antonio-mayor-Lila-Cockrell-turned-13906697.php |website=San Antonio Express-News |access-date=30 December 2019 |date=31 May 2019}} On May 31, 2019, Cockrell cast her vote in the election.{{cite web |last1=Dimmick |first1=Iris |title=Former Mayor Lila Cockrell Casts Ballot After ID Snag |url=https://therivardreport.com/former-mayor-lila-cockrell-casts-her-vote-in-runoff-election/ |website=Rivard Report |access-date=30 December 2019 |date=31 May 2019}}

=Death=

Cockrell's Health declined in the time leading up to her death. Cockrell died at the age of 97 under hospice care on August 29, 2019{{cite web |title=Lila May Banks Cockrell - View Obituary & Service Information |url=https://www.missionparks.com/obituaries/Lila-Cockrell/ |website=Lila May Banks Cockrell Obituary |access-date=30 December 2019 |language=en}} in her apartment in San Antonio, Texas. On September 3, 2019, a public visitation was held at Mission Park Funeral Chapel North. On September 5, 2019, a private memorial service and a public tribute were held at the Lila Cockrell Theatre.{{cite web |last1=Dimmick |first1=Iris |title=San Antonio Political Pioneer Lila Cockrell Dies at 97 |url=https://therivardreport.com/san-antonio-political-pioneer-lila-cockrell-dies-at-97/ |website=Rivard Report |access-date=30 December 2019 |date=29 August 2019}}

Honors

Image:Lila Cockrell Theater, San Antonio, TX IMG 7601.JPG]]

The Lila Cockrell Theatre, named in her honor, is part of the Henry B. González Convention Center in Downtown San Antonio. Also, a meeting room at the Convention Center directly below the Theatre is named the Mayor Cockrell Room in her honor.{{cite web|title=Lila Cockrell Theatre|url=http://www.sahbgcc.com/default.asp?sanantonio=16|publisher=Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center|access-date=August 12, 2013}}
She was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1984.{{cite web |title=Lila May Banks Cockrell |url=http://www.twu.edu/twhf/honorees/lila-may-banks-cockrell/ |work=Texas Women's Hall of Fame |publisher=Texas Woman's University |access-date=November 9, 2016}}
She received an honorary doctorate from St. Mary's University in May 2017 during the commencement ceremony for the class of 2017.

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20080105145212/http://www.tridelta.org/alumnae/Distinguished_Alumnae/distinguished_deltas/directory_detail.asp?blobID=4088 Delta Delta Delta Biography]
[http://www.sanantonio.gov/convfac/LCT/lcoverview.asp City of San Antonio's Lila Cockrell Theatre Website]
Interviews with Lila Cockrell, [http://digital.utsa.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15125coll4/id/1585 July 25, 1984], [http://digital.utsa.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15125coll4/id/1586 July 15, 1994], [http://digital.utsa.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15125coll4/id/2081 April 9, 1997], University of Texas at San Antonio: Institute of Texan Cultures: Oral History Collections, UA 15.01, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.
{{Find a Grave|202545462}}

{{Succession box

| title = Mayor of San Antonio

| years = 1989-1991

| with =

| before = Henry Cisneros

| after = Nelson Wolff

}}

{{Succession box

| title = Mayor of San Antonio

| years = 1975-1981

| with =

| before = Charles L. Becker